Title:Assessing non-Markovian dynamics

Abstract: We investigate what a snapshot of a quantum evolution - a quantum channel
reflecting open system dynamics - reveals about the underlying continuous time
evolution. Remarkably, from such a snapshot, and without imposing additional
assumptions, it can be decided whether or not a channel is consistent with a
time (in)dependent Markovian evolution, for which we provide computable
necessary and sufficient criteria. Based on these, a computable measure of
`Markovianity' is introduced. We discuss how the consistency with Markovian
dynamics can be checked in quantum process tomography. The results also clarify
the geometry of the set of quantum channels with respect to being solutions of
time (in)dependent master equations.

Comments:

5 pages, RevTex, 2 figures. (Except from typesetting) version to be published in the Physical Review Letters